VW Nils: Single-seat EV concept for Frankfurt Motor Show

VW has shed some light on the rumored single-seat EV concept for the Frankfurt Motor Show, please welcome the VW Nils.

While Audi’s electric Urban Concept featured seating for two, VeeDub’s Nils is a driver-only ride. This allows for designers to make the Nils incredibly compact (less than 10-feet long) and its sturdy aluminum spaceframe makes for a finished vehicle that tips the scales at just a tad over 1,000 pounds. Think of the Nils as an evolution of the 1L concept VW showed us two years ago in Frankfurt. Despite its compact dimensions, VW claims the Nils meets current safety requirements.

Propulsion for the Nils comes from a compact electric motor that weighs in at 42 pounds and cranks out up to 33 horsepower. Given its diminutive size, the Nils needs only a 5.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which VW says can be recharged from empty in around two hours.